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2004 Monaco Grand Prix
23 May |number = 719 |officialname = 62e Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco |circuit = Circuit de Monaco |location = Monte Carlo, Monaco |circuittype = Temporary street circuit |lapdistance = 3.340 |laps = 77 |distance = 257.180 |scheduledlaps = 78 |pole = Jarno Trulli |polenation = ITA |poleteam = |poletime = 1:13.985 |fastestlap = 1:14.439 |fastestlapdriver = Michael Schumacher |fastestlapnation = GER |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 23 |winner = Jarno Trulli |winnernation = ITA |winnerteam = |second = Jenson Button |secondnation = GBR |secondteam = |third = Rubens Barrichello |thirdnation = BRA |thirdteam = }} The 2004 Monaco Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the 62e Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco, was the sixth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco, on 23 May 2004.'Monaco 2004 - Trulli beats Button in street-fight.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 23/04/2004), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/48889/1/monaco-2004-trulli-beats-button-in-street-fight, (Accessed 19/12/2019) The race would see Jarno Trulli sweep to a maiden victory for , as Michael Schumacher crashed out under a Safety Car. Qualifying had seen Trulli claim pole position ahead of Ralf Schumacher, marking the Italian racer's first pole triumph. Championship leader Michael Schumacher, meanwhile, would lineup in fourth behind Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, Ralf Schumacher having been hit with a grid penalty for an engine change, with Kimi Räikkönen claiming sixth for his best quali result of the season. Raceday saw little change to the overall order during the warm-up, with the Mediterranean Principality bathed in sunshine. There would, however, be some late chaos ahead of the start, with the first start itself having to be aborted when Olivier Panis stalled his . When the race did get underway there would be nothing stopping Trulli, who duly streaked into Sainte Devote at the head of the field. Teammate Alonso also made a brilliant getaway to leap into second, while Takuma Sato shot into fourth behind teammate Button. The rest of the opening lap proved fairly clean, until Christian Klien removed his front wing by hitting one of the s at Mirabeau. That, however, would be it for major dramas, until a failure for Sato saw the race brought under the safety car's domain for the first time. Indeed, after two laps of having oil smoke trailing from his car, Sato would see his engine let go completely at Tabac, throwing out a huge cloud of white smoke. The two Ferraris and Räikkönen, immediately behind the #10 made it through without issue, before David Coulthard slammed on his brakes, catching out Giancarlo Fisichella. Fisichella's would smash over the top of the , before sliding to a stop against the barriers on its side. Fisichella required the marshals' aid to pull his car away so he could escape, although fortunately no serious injuries resulted. The race resumed with the top three once again pulling clear, leaving Räikkönen to hold up the two Ferraris. The status quo was maintained until the first drivers made their first pitstops, with Schumacher gaining a lot of ground in clear aid to jump Räikkönen and Button. Indeed, the race would settle down after that, with Trulli and Alonso cruising ahead of Schumacher, with the gap between the Renaults and the Ferrari remaining stable. That was, until Ralf Schumacher intervened, forcing Alonso into a race ending mistake when lapping the #4 Williams, which saw the Renault demolish itself on the barriers heading to the Nouvelle Chicane. The sheer amount of broken Renault saw the safety car called upon again, prompting Trulli and Button to pit, while Schumacher stayed out. He therefore briefly led the race, until he decided to mess about on the brakes through the tunnel, and was subsequently pitched into the barriers by Juan Pablo Montoya. The sight of Schumacher's ruined Ferrari emerging from the tunnel caused outrage in the Ferrari pit and joy for everyone else, with an investigation by the officials deeming the incident a racing one. It did, however, lengthen the safety car period, although there would be no stopping Trulli when the race did resume. The rest of the race would see Trulli defend from Button as the two sprinted away at the rest of the field, with only third placed Rubens Barrichello on the lead lap. Ultimately their duel would end with Trulli holding out to claim his maiden win by half a second, while Barrichello secured a distant third. Montoya, Felipe Massa, Cristiano da Matta, Nick Heidfeld and Panis claimed the remaining points. Background A fifth straight victory in the opening five races left Michael Schumacher as the overwhelming favourite for the crown, leaving Spain on a maximum score of 50 points. That left him eighteen clear of Rubens Barrichello, with the Brazilian himself holding an eight point advantage over Jenson Button in third. Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli rounded out the top five, level on 21 points, while Giancarlo Fisichella had become the season's thirteenth different point scorer. In the Constructors Championship had once again extended their Championship lead, leaving Spain with 82 points after their third one-two of the campaign. had retained second after their double score, while had lost ground to their French rivals in third, slipping ten behind. were next, two off the Anglo-Japanese alliance, while were an increasingly disappointing and distant fifth. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Free Practice 1 Free Practice 2 Free Practice 3 Free Practice 4 Practice Results The full practice results for the are outlined below: Qualifying Qualifying 1 Qualifying 2 Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. ** Schumacher was awarded a ten place grid penalty for changing his engine. Grid ** Panis start the race from the pitlane after stalling on the grid. Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Schumacher was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * Michael Schumacher started his 200th Grand Prix.'6. Monaco 2004', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/monaco.aspx, (Accessed 19/12/2019) * 500th individual entry for a engine.'2004 Monaco GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2004&gp=Monaco%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 19/12/2019) * Jarno Trulli claimed his maiden pole position. * Trulli secured his first (and only) victory. * secured their seventeenth win as a constructor. ** Also the 97th win for a Renault engine. Standings For the first time in Michael Schumacher had not only failed to win but also failed to score, meaning his Championship tally remained at 50 points. That had allowed Rubens Barrichello to close the gap at the head of the title hunt, although the Brazilian was still twelve points off his teammate's tally. Jenson Button was a further six behind, one point ahead of race winner Jarno Trulli, with just four drivers yet to score in 2004. In the Constructors Championship had seen their lead slightly reduced as a result of their lone score in Monte Carlo, although they still held a healthy 36 point margin. had done the "damage" courtesy of Trulli's win, although they were still two races worth of points behind the Scuderia. were next ahead of , while had claimed fifth from . Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:2004 Grands Prix Category:Monaco Grand Prix